The expected has happened. Mallikarjun Kharge is the new president of the Indian National Congress. His rival, diplomat turned politician Shashi Tharoor, garnered impressive thousand-odd votes against Kharge, who was considered to be the establishment candidate.

The election does show that inner-party democracy in the Congress party is possible. By holding elections in a transparent way, the Congress has also shone a light on how tightly-controlled other parties, including the BJP, are.

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